Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-08-18
ALLAN QUARTERNAIp
A BROWNING CITY.

Il
that his enthusiasm was producing a
marked effect upon the minds OF the five
Wakwafi, who appeared to understand
something of his talk; but now [ thought
it time to put a stop to it, for there is moth
ing that | hate so much as this Zulu syS-
tenn of extravagant praising-'' bongering, y
as they call it. Silence" I said HAS
all thy noisy talk been stopped up since
last | saw thee that it breaks out thus, and
sweeps us away? What doest thou here
with these men-thou whom left chief
in Zululand? How is it that thou art far
from thine own place, and gathered togeth-
er with strangers?"
Umslopogaas leaned himself upon the
head of his hong battle-ax (Which was
nothing eles but a pole-aX, with a beautiful
handle of rhinoceros horn, and his grim
face grew sad
My father he answered, 81 have a
word to tell thee, but I cannot speak it be-
fore these low people (unfagozana)," and
he glanced at the Wakwafi Askari; cit is
for thine own ear. My father, this will ]
say" and here his face grew stern again,
"a woman betrayed me to the death, and
covered my name with shame-ay, my own
life, a round-faced girl, betrayed me; but
escaped from death; ay, I broke from the
very hands of those who came 20 Stay me,
/ struck but three blows with this mine ak
Inkosikaasi- surely my father will remem-
Der it-one to the right, one to the left, and
one in front, and yet left three men dead.
And then fled, and, as my father knows,
even now that | am old, my feet are as the
feet of the Sassaby, Zone of the fieetest of
40 ta1 hac
not the man who, by running, can touch
me again when once have bounded from
his side. On sped, and after me came
the messengers of death; and their voice
was as the voice of dogs that hunt. From
my own kraal | flew, and, as passed, she
who had betrayed me was drawing water
from the spring. | fieeted by her like the
shadow of death and as ] went / smote
with mine AK, and lc! her head fell, it fell
into the wate~-pan. Then | fled north.
Day afte< day | iOurneyed on; for three
moons journeyed, resting not, stopping
not, but running on toward forgetfulness,
till | met the party of the white hunter
who is now dead, and am come hither with
his servants. And naught have [ brought
with me- | who was high-bOrn, ay, of the
blood of Chaka, the great king-chief and
a captain of the regiment of the Nkomaba-
kosi-am q Wanderer in strange places, q
man without a kraal Naught have ]
brought save this mine ak; of all my be.
longings, this remains alone. They have
divided my cattle; they have taken my
wives; and my children know my face no
more. Yet with this AK" and he swung
the formidable weapon round his head,
making the air hiss as he Glove it, ''Will /
carve another path to fortune. I have
spoken"
lshook my head at him. "Ums1opogaas, y
| said, Il know thee from of old Ever
ambitions, ever plotting to be great, I fear
me that thou hast overreached myself at
last. Years ago, when thou wouldst have
plotted against Cetywayo, son of Panda, /
warned thee. and thou didst listen. But
now, when [ was not by thee to stay thy
hand, thou hast dug a pit for thine own
feet to fall in. Is it not so? But what is
done is done. Who can make the dead tree
green, or gaze again upon last years sun?
Who can recall the spoken word, or bring
back the spirit of the slain? That which
Time swallows comes not up again. Let
1t be forgotten
And now, behold, Umslopogaas, know
thee for a great warrior and brave man,
faithful to the death Even in ZuIuland,
where all the men are brave, they called
thee the 'Slaughterer, and at night told
stories round the fire of thy strength and
deeds. Hear me now. Thou seest this
great man, my FRIEND" and [ pointed to
Sir Henry; "he also is a warrior as great as
thou, and strong as thou art he could
throw thee over his shoulder Incubu is
his name. And thou seest this one also;
him with the round stomach, the shining
eye, and the pleasant face Bongwan (glass
eye) is his name, and a good man is he and
q true, being of a people who pass their
life upon the water, and live in floating
kraals
well, we three whom thou seest would
travel inland, past Dongo Egere, the great
white mountain (Mt Kenia), and far into
the unknown beyond. We know not what
we shall find there; we go to hunt and seek
adventures, and new places, being tired of
sitting still, and the same old things around
us. Wilt thou come with us? To thee
shall be given command of all our servants;
but what shall befall thee, that I know not
Once before we three journeyed thus, in
search of adventure, and we took with US
a man such as thou-one Umbopa; and, be-
hold, we left him the king of great coun-
try, with twenty Impis (regiments), each
of three thousand plumed warriors, wait
ing on his word. How it shall go with thee,
| know not; mayhap death awaits thee and
us. Wilt thou throw myself to fortune
and come. or fearest thou, Umslopogaas?
| The great man smiled. ''Thou art not
altogether right, Macumazahn," he said;
II have plotted in my time, but it was not
ambition that led me to my fall; but, shame
on me that | should have to say it, fair
womans face. Let it pass. So we are go
ing to see something like the old times
again, MacumaZahn, when we fought and
hunted in Zululand? Ay, [ will come.
Come life, come death, what care /, so that
the blows fall fast and the blood runs red?
/ grow old, | grow DID, and | have not
fought enough. And yet am [ a warrior
among warriors; see my scars" and he
pointed to countless cicatrices, stabs and
cuts, that marked the skin of his chest and
legs and arms. "See the hole in my head
the brains gushed out therefrom, yet did
slay him who smote, and live. knowes1
thou how many men / have slain, in fail
hand-to-hand combat. Macumazahn? See
here is the tale of them, and he pointed tt
long rows of inches cut in the rhinoceros